


Paper Faces on Parade

by 221Breathe



Category: The Blacklist (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-27
Updated: 2016-05-23
Packaged: 2018-05-29 09:07:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6368599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/221Breathe/pseuds/221Breathe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lizzie is given a mission to take down a blacklister at a fancy gala using her skills of profiling and seduction. Red insists on going undercover as Lizzie's date and the blacklister is not the only thing exposed during the passionate, exhausting night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure if this is going to turn into a chaptered piece or not, but I really enjoyed writing in this setting. All rights belong to the writers of The Blacklist and I hope you enjoy!  
> P.S. Points to anyone who gets the reference in the title.

Elizabeth Keen slipped into the annoyingly scrumptious red dress that had been given to her for the evening that now lay ahead. She had found the gown nestled beneath the folds and layers of cream tissue paper inside a satin box along with a black mask. She had sighed and rolled her eyes when she read the note attached written in Red’s signature crimson pen:  
Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask and he will tell you the truth –Oscar Wilde  
Elizabeth and Raymond Reddington would be attending a masquerade tonight in order to get a confession out of the criminal who happened to be throwing the extravagant event. Red was invited personally and was bringing Lizzie as his plus one, so she could hopefully charm a confession out of the criminal whom Red called “Gatsby”. He often flaunted his money by hosting lavish parties while simultaneously conducting undercover business that was related to the blackmailing of powerful leaders.  
Elizabeth dabbed on the final touches of her makeup and squinted at her image in the mirror. She was going for young, confident, and sexy. The dress paired with her dark eye makeup accomplished just that. She needed Gatsby to believe she was not a threat; she was someone whom he could trust and woo with his money and smooth talking. Liz was just not fond of the idea that Reddington had purchased this dress with her in mind and somehow gotten it into her bedroom (not to mention he had somehow guessed her dress size exactly).  
Tom was out for the night, watching the big game with friends at a local sports bar. She left him a message on his phone telling him not to wait up and that she loved him. Her thoughts snapped back to the present once she heard the doorbell chime.  
“Coming!” She called, bending over to slip on her heels. When she opened the door, she was met with FBI Agent Ressler and Raymond Reddington standing on her doorstep.  
“Well, Lizzie, don’t you look ravishing,” Red said with his signature crooked smile, as he invited himself inside.  
Ressler huffed, and stepped inside as Lizzie held the door open for him. “Agent Keen,” he greeted curtly.  
“Agent Ressler,” she replied, trying to ignore Reddington, who was currently snooping around her living room.  
‘We’re running short on time, so let’s cut to the chase. This is a recording device, disguised as ring,” Ressler informed her, handing her the piece of jewelry. It was silver with a ruby stone setting. “Keep it on, and we’ll be able to get the blacklister’s confession on tape. Is this clear?” he asked, raising his eyebrows to stress the importance of what he had just said.  
Elizabeth nodded, maintaining eye contact. Agent Ressler was a no nonsense kind of guy and, as annoying as it was to admit, she wanted him to take her seriously.  
“Is that all? Because I would hate to be late,” Red called as he breezed out her door and onto her front steps. The two agents followed the Concierge of Crime into the white limousine that was waiting outside Lizzie’s house. To the outside world they might have looked like any normal group of friends getting ready to attend a normal celebration. Not one rookie FBI profiler, one highly trained and experienced FBI agent, along with one of America’s most wanted criminals; who was currently helping himself to a glass of champagne in the back of the limo.  
The plan was to drop Ressler off at the FBI quarters so he could have the help of the tech team if something malfunctioned and they needed to come up with a backup plan. Meanwhile, Lizzie and Red would be attending the party. Red would point Lizzie in Gatsby’s direction, and from there she would charm the confession out of the man along with the location of his secrets. Then Ressler would signal the other agents in the area to swarm the building and arrest the criminal. It would be a smooth operation if all went well, but the entire thing depended on her ability get the criminal to admit his guilt using her looks and flirtatious attitude alone.  
Red and Liz strolled through the doors into the mansion and were immediately assaulted by sounds, sights, and smells. Deep bass paired with high violins created an eerie but intriguing track. Acrobats twirled and contorted across the ceiling on long, thick, satin ribbons. White and red roses covered almost every surface, their signature smell wafting through the air. Lizzie tried not to gasp or stare, but the details and decorations demanded to be admired. She didn’t feel at all out of place in her extravert dress paired with her delicate mask.  
“Breathtaking isn’t it?” Red whispered in Lizzie’s ear, his breath tickling her skin. “Don’t look now, but your contact is at your two o’clock and currently staring at us intently.”  
Lizzie gave Red a fake smile and replied back just as quietly, “How should we approach him?”  
Red guffawed and grabbed Liz’s hand, pulling her towards the dance floor. “We don’t,” he stated simply, once he had his hand on her waist. “He approaches us.”  
Red was an expectedly graceful dancer, and he held Lizzie with a kind of aged confidence that put her slightly more at ease in the midst of the chaotic crowd.  
“Shouldn’t I be dancing with my target?” Elizabeth questioned as he guided her into another spin.  
“The only motivator that can challenge love is jealousy. I expect our Gatsby to be simply green at the sight of us, Lizzie.”  
“Red, I—”  
“Shh, Lizzie. Laugh and gaze at me as though I just said something incredibly witty and charming.”  
Begrudged, Lizzie did as she was told. She then caught Gatsby’s stare across the floor at the bar.  
“He’s staring, Red,” Lizzie informed as her eyes snapped back to her partner’s.  
“Of course he is; you look simply delectable in that shade,” he replied as his hand slipped lower on her back.  
Lizzie jumped, her green eyes flashing. “Watch it.”  
“Don’t be such a prude,” Red chuckled, but his hand did move back up to its original position. “We mean to convince Gatsby you are interested, not that you’re my daughter.”  
Lizzie sealed herself with a sigh, remembering the importance of this mission. She reached up with one hand and let her fingers trace up Red’s jawline, through his short hair, and come to a rest at the base of his neck. Biting her lip, she looked downwards slightly and tipped her head.  
When Elizabeth looked back up through her lashes, she expected to find a welcome compliment from Red. Instead, what she found made her freeze in her advances. Red’s eyes had become fixed on her, pupils wide and dark. At some point he had pulled her closer to him and she could feel his heavy breaths falling in line with his chest, which rose and fell against hers. He swallowed quickly, not once breaking eye contact. It was at this exact moment that Elizabeth felt a tap on her shoulder.  
“Pardon me…may I cut in?”  
Lizzie broke away from Red’s steel gaze to see the blacklister standing expectantly behind her.


	2. Game for Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2! Thank you to everyone who reviewed--you guys are the reason I continued this story onwards. Enjoy!

“Pardon me…may I cut in?”  
Lizzie broke away from Red’s steel gaze to see the blacklister standing expectantly behind her.  
“Certainly,” Lizzie purred, moving her hands from Red’s neck and hand. Gatsby flashed her a smile as he nodded to Red in respect. Elizabeth kept her eyes on Gatsby even when Red gave her a lingering kiss on the cheek before departing.  
“Forgive me, but I couldn’t help but stare at you, Miss…?”  
“Raymond,” Lizzie said, raising her eyebrows with a smile. The name unfortunately slipped out, her mind still reeling from Red’s intense reaction only seconds ago. What the hell had he been thinking at that time? Her heart was still pounding at the memory of his smoldering, unyielding gaze and the heated contact between them. She shivered and tried to focus on the man before her. “But I do insist you call me Lindsey.”  
“Well, Lindsey, it seemed a pity for a woman of your beauty to only dance with one man tonight. Tell me, are you enjoying my party?”  
“I wasn’t aware I had the honor of meeting the host! Everything is exquisite! And your company is certainly a lovely addition to my night,” Lizzie replied.  
“I can confidently say the same. Not even the best celebration can hold a torch to the company of an exquisite woman.”  
As they danced, Lizzie studied him with interest. He appeared to be in his late thirties, but he wore his age well. Salt and pepper hair was starting to emerge at his temples, but his lively eyes and quick dance steps gave him the air of a much younger man. As Lizzie let her fingers seductively trail down his bicep, the ring Ressler had given her sparkled. The responsibility of the mission hit Lizzie once again and her chest tightened with nerves. She mentally went over the steps of the mission in her head once again: identify he target, seduce the target, get him to admit his guilt. Or if the smooth-talking didn’t work out, she would need to get her hands on some incriminating evidence in loo of a verbal confession. Instinctively, Lizzie scanned the room for Red and located his profile at the bar. His eyes locked onto hers and he raised his scotch with a smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes. Lizzie quickly turned away and directed her gaze at the target.  
“So tell me, what kind of business are you in Mister…?”  
“Green. But you may call me Jay,” He replied as his hand put more pressure on the small of her back, arching Lizzie closer towards him. “And I don’t wish to spoil your evening with boring talk of numbers and figures.”  
“I doubt you could ever bore me, Jay,” Lizzie said with a smile. “Would you mind terribly if I slipped away to get a drink?”  
“Not at all. I have some old friends to catch up with and then I’ll meet you at the bar shortly,” Jay promised, kissing her hand as the song ended.  
In a split-second decision, Lizzie drew him close to her.  
“I’ll be waiting,” She murmured against his lips before closing the gap between them. For being so unexpected, Jay responded to the kiss deeply, winding his hand around her slim waist to pull Lizzie flush against him. As she playfully nipped at his bottom lip, Lizzie placed the ring inside the pocket of Jay’s jacket before pulling back with a smirk.  
With a spin, Lizzie marched towards the bar hoping her red dress looked as good in the back as it did in the front.  
She slipped into the seat next to Red and ordered a martini. She felt oddly triumphant as she sipped her drink and waited to see if he would start a conversation after the strange moment they had shared on the dance floor. But in true Reddington fashion, he deflected instead.  
“That poor man looked like he had never danced a waltz in his life. He looked about as stiff and awkward as a high school boy at his first prom.”  
“I thought he was rather good. Besides, we can’t all be as culturally mature as you in all parts of life,” Lizzie snipped. She knew this was dangerous, baiting him like this. But honestly, she couldn’t help herself. Maybe it was the dancing, or the drink, or maybe she was just tired of Red being so damn composed all the time. Either way, Lizzie waned to push Red’s emotional boundaries.  
“This blacklister is going to add you to his private collection of mistresses if you keep kissing him like that, Lizzie. Who knew the Bureu had started hiring such… dedicated agents.”  
Lizzie glanced around to make sure no one close had heard Red’s last comment, but the band was quite loud and no one was seated close enough to eavesdrop on their conversation.  
“If you have a problem with my methods, then maybe you should have stayed home. I’m serious about catching this guy, so I’m not doing this job halfway.” Now, Lizzie turned to face Red completely. “And if you must know, I did it to distract him while I placed the recorder in his pocket. He’s meeting with business partners as we speak, so hopefully Ressler will have picked up something useful by the time he returns.”  
“Well I don’t see your people storming the castle yet, do you?” Red asked dryly.  
“Then I guess I need him to invite me to his room, so that I can go through his computer.”  
“Lizzie, you do not want to be alone in a comprising position with this man. He is dangerous and will not think twice about—“  
“Listen, I may technically be your plus one at this party, but don’t forget that this is my mission, Red. I am getting that evidence whatever that takes.” Lizzie’s eyes hardened as she stared down Reddington. “And I really don’t need you to protect me.”  
An indescribable something flashed in Red’s eyes as Lizzie spoke. At the sight of it, Lizzie softened a bit as she turned back to face the bar. “I know you care a lot about this case, but I promise I won’t screw it up, okay?”  
“Lizzie, I care more about your safety than catching this criminal. Do you understand?” Red’s deep voice rumbled beside her.  
Lizzie turned to look at him again, this time without annoyance and with more curiosity.  
“Why? Why am I so important to you?” Lizzie implored, her eyes wide and questioning. It always circled back to this question with them; it remained the tether that both bound and seperated them. She hoped maybe this night he would give her more answers and less enigmatic riddles. Maybe this night would be one of honesty--a breath of fresh air in this crazy world of Red's that Lizzie had tumbled into. He leaned in close and she could smell the rich scotch on his breath. She breathed in sharply as his hand clenched into a fist over her thigh, drawing the fabric of her dress into his palm..  
“Because you—“  
“I certainly hope I’m not interrupting anything,” a smooth voice commented behind Lizzie.  
Lizzie felt like screaming at Jay for his horrific timing, but swallowed her anger and instead replied sweetly, “Not at all, Jay! Jay, may I introduce—“  
“Raymond Reddington,” the said man finished, extending his hand.  
Jay smiled and shook Red’s hand cordially. “What a pleasure to finally meet the infamous man. But tell me, how do you know the enchanting Lindsey Raymond?”  
Red raised an eyebrow at the mention of Lizzie’s fake last name, but then said simply, “She is one of my mistresses.”  
Lizzie nearly chocked on her drink.  
“Between you and me, she definitely isn’t the brightest, but she is a looker isn’t she?” Red said, scanning Lizzie up and down as if she were merely a nice center piece to be admired.  
“Quite,” Mr. Green agreed.  
Two can play at that game, Lizzie thought icily.  
“It’s cruel really that his wife refuses to sleep with a man who has to use pills to…well you know. It’s hard not to take pity on a man in a position like that,” Lizzie cooed. “And he’s kind enough to let our relationship be an open one. So in that case…do you want to buy me a drink, Jay?”  
If Jay was surprised at Lizzie’s flippant remark, he masked it well. “I’d be honored, my dear.”  
Lizzie smiled in satisfaction as she sipped her drink. Despite having two criminals on either side of her and a long mission ahead, all Lizzie could think in that moment was:  
Lizzie: 1  
Red: 0


	3. Set in Motion

Not only was Jay exceedingly dull, as Lizzie quickly found out, but he was atrociously disrespectful to the bartender. Anytime the poor girl took longer than 2 minutes to refill their drinks, Green would snap his fingers in her face, while asking her to “move that pretty ass of hers faster” if she wanted to still have a job by the end of the night. As a former bartender from her college days, Lizzie was appalled. The waitress simply ducked her head and swallowed hard each time his hand came near her face. Although nothing was more torturous for Lizzie than holding her tongue, for the mission’s sake, she simply stayed silent. However, she did cease her drinking so at least her glass was not the one being snapped over. 

Red was on her other side and was most definitely stewing. The outsider would not be ale to see the subtle changes in his body, but Lizzie could had been studying him for months now. She could read from his flexed jaw and stiff hold on his scotch that he was bothered. She smirked knowing it was her words that had this effect on him. Her jab about his age also helped clear her head, which had become alarmingly cloudy after his palm had been placed so high on her thigh. She could still feel the burn from where his fingers had touched if she focused on the memory long enough.

Lizzie giggled playfully at another one of Jay’s wildly false tales involving a friend’s bachelor party in Aruba. At least when Red told grand stories in that smooth, rolling voice of his they were true. 

Lizzie stole a glance at the clock. One in the morning. A small pit of panic took root in Liz’s stomach. If she didn’t get the list of Green’s victims and the confidential information he was using to blackmail them tonight, the Bureau would chalk it up to a huge loss. He would be on another continent by next week and by then a world leader could be handing him over confidential and dangerous information. Tonight needed to be a success. 

A man walked past Liz holding a glass of white wine and she saw the opportunity. With a slight tilt of her heel and a swivel in his direction, he pitched forward and his drink made a perfect arch straight onto her dress. 

“Oh!” Liz exclaimed in mock surprise, standing immediately. 

“What the hell! You want to watch where you’re going, asshole!” Jay yelled, pushing the man backwards. 

“Jay!” Lizzie scrambled over before he decked the poor man. “It’s fine, I just need to clean this up…is there somewhere I can go?” 

Jay Green was breathing hard, clenching and unclenching his fists. Finally, Green’s boarding school training seemed to kick in and he simply smoothed his hair back and straightened his suit stiffly. 

“I’ll have my security team escort you out,” Jay said his voice low and deadly. Liz for a moment was actually nervous. This man had a dark side and a dangerous streak—both were well concealed behind expensive suits and charm, but Liz knew she would be on edge around him from now on. She instinctively looked over at Red. His eyes warned her not to go through with her plan and for a single moment she wanted nothing more than for him to destroy Jay Green his way. She would not have to feel her skin prickle every time he touched her. She would not have to kiss him alone and feel his hands on her inside the elevator. Red would step in front of her as he disarmed Jay with his signature chuckle and a witty remark and then Red would…. Lizzie woke up from this fantasy suddenly. The Bureau was handling this case for a reason. Red would just blow Jay’s brains out without a second glance. It was up to her to bring justice, not Red’s twisted definition of the word. 

“Darling, is there a restroom around here that I could freshen up in?”

“Don’t be silly! I’ll escort you up to my private room, you can clean up there.” 

“Oh, are you sure? I don’t want to be a bother,” she asked with her brows furrowed and a slight pout. 

“Just follow me, love,” Jay said, taking her hand and leading her away.  
Lizzie turned to look back at Red and she tried to tell him everything she could not say out loud: I’ll be okay, I know what I’m doing, don’t you dare screw this up for me. However, Liz was pretty sure all of those things were lost in translation because all she could focus on was his grey, bright eyes. Eyes that reluctantly betrayed a single message: Stay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not the most lively chapter, I know. More Red and Lizzie in the very near future, but the plot had to inch forward for that to happen. I know the tone changed a bit in this chapter between Red x Lizzie, but I hope it worked regardless. As always, thank you for reading and reviews are very much appreciated.


End file.
